Jay Slater GoFundMe troll donates £5 for his mum get her nails finished in Tenerife
A GoFundMe created to afford the search for missing British 19-year-old Jay Slater, is set to smash £50,000.
Tenerife rescue units were told to stop looking for Jay from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire last weekend, nearly two weeks after he went missing on June 17. His last known conversation was a call to his friend Lucy explaining he was lost on the Canary Island with only 1% battery left on his phone.
With Jay still missing following the official search party being called off, money from generous members of the public continues to pour into a GoFundMe page titled “Get JAY SLATER home”.
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Despite parting with their money, trolls have seized the opportunity to make a cruel joke out of the situation.
One £5 donation came with the following twisted comment: “Hopefully this will help Jays mam get her nails done when she’s over there to go with her tan”
GoFundMe has no warning or tips on its site for fundraisers on how to deal with abuse and insensitivity from donors. It does, however, explain the crowdfunding site works and what guidance should Jay’s family follow.
The website advises fundraisers to regularly acknowledge and thank everyone who donates. The site says: “Once you’ve started to see donations roll in, it’s important to acknowledge donations and say thank you when you see them.”
Mum and fundraiser beneficiary Debbie Duncan did just that on June 23, writing: “Thank you all for your generosity and kindness during this difficult time. I wanted to confirm that this is the only GoFundMe fundraiser approved by our family. We have not yet withdrawn any funds and are currently covering the expenses, such as the trip to Tenerife and accommodation, ourselves. The funds will remain on hold with GoFundMe until we post a further update on this page.
Debbie issued an update last week explain last week reminding donors that their money would be going towards accommodation and food expenses for Jay’s friends and family in Tenerife.
She also said efforts were being made to withdraw some of what is now totalling at more than £48,000 – £18,000 more than the target.
Debbie wrote: “We are currently working with GoFundMe to withdraw part of the funds, which are being safely held. I wanted to share that these funds will be used to support the mountain rescue teams who are tirelessly searching for Jay.
“Additionally, since our stay in Tenerife needs to be extended, we will also use the funds to cover accommodation and food expenses. I’m surrounded by wonderful people who are by my side, but far from their loved ones, so we’ll also be using part of these funds to fly them to Tenerife so we can support each other during these dark times.”
According to GoFundMe, once funds are withdrawn it takes two to five business days for transfers to reach the recipient’s bank account and assures donors a ‘money-back protection guarantee in the rare case something isn’t right’.
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